“For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”(Luke 19:10; New Revised Standard Version)

As a child, I love singing the song about Zacchaeus, the “wee little man … who climbed up in the sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.” As a “vertically challenged” kid who loved climbing tree, I really identified with this guy.

While I climbed trees just for fun and adventure, Zacchaeus had a more pressing reason – he wanted to see Jesus. Zacchaeus thought he was seeking out a way to see the Lord. What a surprise it must have been to find out that all this time Jesus was already looking for him.

“To seek out” and “to save” both indicate the initiative that God takes to bring hope and healing to our lives. Since God first loved us, we are can now have the ability to love God in return. God’s grace is afforded us even before we begin to look for God. “We love” claims the chorus, “because God first love us.”

PRAYER: Your Love, O God, has embraced and upheld me, long before I ever knew who you were. May my actions, attitude and words this day, faithfully respond to all that you have already done for and in me. Amen.